Thursday, February 7, 2013

Lawsuit Against Jackson City School District Premature

JACKSON, OH, February 7, 2013 – Today, Liberty Institute issued the following statement in response to a lawsuit filed in a federal court by the ACLU and Freedom From Religion Foundation, regarding the removal of a longstanding Jesus portrait in the former high school located in Jackson, Ohio.
“This lawsuit is premature,” said Hiram Sasser, Liberty Institute Director of Litigation. “We reached out to the ACLU and FFRF for dates they would be available to meet, so that we could include their input in the investigation before we made a final report and recommendation to the Board. Rather than responding to our request to meet with them, the ACLU and FFRF filed a lawsuit before they even knew what action the Board intended to take.”

“Sasser continued, “These types of issues require extensive factual investigation, which we are just now completing. The District needs to do a thorough investigation in order to ensure that its decision on this issue follows Supreme Court precedent.”

In January, Jackson City School District retained Liberty Institute to investigate the matter on a pro bono basis. On February 12, attorneys from Liberty Institute and Covington & Burling will attend Jackson City Schools board meeting to present their report and recommendation.

About Liberty Institute
Liberty Institute is a nonprofit legal group dedicated to defending and restoring religious liberty across America — in our schools, for our churches and throughout the public arena. Liberty’s vision is to reestablish religious liberty in accordance with the principles of our nation’s Founders. For information, visit www.LibertyInstitute.org.